


Remember The Good Times

by GreyHaven



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: And teenagers being teenagers, Drinking, Gen, M/M, References to Underage Drinking, Set mid-S2, Sharing happy memories, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyHaven/pseuds/GreyHaven
Summary: When Nathan and Duke are bickering, Audrey loses her patience and sends them off to sort things out.  Because they're Nathan and Duke, they refuse to talk so they text each other instead.  After a couple of glasses of whisky, maybe they're starting to get somewhere....





	Remember The Good Times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkSparkleUnicorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkSparkleUnicorn/gifts).



> For PinkSparkleUnicorn who came up with the idea for this fic, and several of the memories they share <3
> 
> With huge thanks to @serendipityxxi for motivation and moral support <3
> 
> Unbeta'd because I'm still Very Fragile from Real Life Stuff and wrote this for fun and distraction :) Set somewhere in S2 when Audrey and Chris are together. Enjoy!

Chris rolled his eyes as Nathan and Duke followed them up to Audrey’s apartment, both chattering away - bickering would be more accurate, they sounded remarkably like an old married couple - talking over one another and trying to one-up each other in the way that people always did around him.

Fortunately Audrey placed herself strategically between him and them and once their attention was broken, they returned to their more usual habit of snarling at each other.

“Will you two _stop,”_ Audrey said, exasperated.  “Stop glaring at each other and _get out_ of my apartment.”

“But Audrey,” Duke whined just as Nathan chimed in with “But Parker…”

She put her hand up in a very clear _shut up_ gesture.  “No buts. You two need to sort out whatever this thing is between you.”

“There’s no _thing,”_ Nathan folded his arms across his chest.

Audrey raised one eyebrow.  “Sure there isn’t. You two are just ready to kill each other over _nothing.”_

“I don’t want to kill anyone,” Duke objected.  “Not even Nathan.”

“Feeling’s not mutual,” Nathan muttered.

Duke let out an indignant squawk.  “Well that’s just not nice.”

“Wasn’t trying to be nice.”

“Ok, ok, I think you’ve just proved my point,” Audrey said.

They both glared back at her sulkily.

“Why do we need to sort things out?”  Duke said after a moment, folding his arms over his chest to mirror Nathan’s posture.

“Because it’s _exhausting_ listening to you and I can’t trust you to have each others backs when you’re like this and I...I need to be able to trust you to watch out for each other.  If we’re all going to get through this…”

Nathan had the good grace to look slightly guilty.  “Any suggestions on how we sort this out?”

“Remember the good times.  There must be some, you were friends once.  Tell each other about them.”

“Talk?”  Nathan couldn’t have looked more horrified if he’d tried.

“With him?”  Duke didn’t look any less horrified.

“Yes!  You know what?  I don’t even care, just get out of my apartment so Chris and I can get on with our evening.  We had plans. None of which involve either of you.”

Duke looked like he was ready to object again, probably to point out that _technically_ it was his apartment and as the landlord, he had every right to be there, but Chris stepped forwards and they were both suddenly compliant, under the influence of his Trouble.

“Ok, boys,” he said, smiling as he put a hand on each of their shoulders.  “Time to go. Do what Audrey told you.”

They were both smiling back, nodding along as he herded them out of the apartment and slammed the door closed behind them.

Away from Chris, Duke turned back to the door with his hand raised, about to say something before he thought better of it, dropped his hand and turned back to Nathan.  “Guess we’d better do this then, if Audrey’s willing to pull out the big guns and set Chris on us.”

Nathan barely managed to grunt a reply that might have been agreement.

“Ok, look, I own a bar for god’s sake, sure we can manage this over a few drinks.”

Nathan gave him A Look and stomped down the stairs - but he turned right and went into the bar rather than going to the parking lot and driving away so Duke thought that might be a good start.  Or, at least, _a_ start, anyway.

The bar was quiet with only a few patrons left drinking, which wasn’t surprising for a mid-week evening, and Duke poured out two glasses of whisky - the good stuff, this wasn’t a conversation to be having over bad whisky.  Twenty year old Scotch would make it _much_ easier.  He hoped.

Nathan took his glass and immediately took it over to a table in the corner, growling at Duke not to follow.

Which was...a less good start.  Clearly they had a lot of work to do.

Duke pulled out his phone and sent him a text instead.

\- Does this count as following?

In the corner, Nathan heard the message come through and read it, vaguely hoping it might have been Audrey telling him he didn’t have to do this.  

\- Yes.  Shut up.

\- I’m not talking

\- Smartass

\- Ass

\- Best you got?

\- Shut up

\- Original

\- Shut up you dick

\- Better

\- Are we doing this then?

\- No

\- Really?  You want to piss Audrey off just a little bit more?

\- No

\- Then we’re doing this

\- Fine.  You start

Duke snorted.  That was just _typical_ Nathan.  He drained his whisky and started typing, deleting the message twelve times before he eventually hit _send._

\- Seahawks.  Winning against the Cutters.  We were what…? 11?

\- 13

\- Ok, 13 then.  Good game.

\- It was

\- See, this is easy.  You go

Nathan stared at his phone for what seemed like forever before he started tapping away.

\- You came to see me.  After my mom died. No one else did.

\- Know what it’s like to lose a parent.  Figured you could use a friend.

\- Yeah.  Your turn

\- Putting frogs in Meg’s desk

\- That wasn’t funny

\- You thought so at the time

Nathan was starting to look murderous again so Duke thought fast and quickly sent another text.

\- That army of mini snowmen we built on Laverne’s porch.  Winter of...85?

\- Thought she was gonna hit the roof but she didn’t

\- Nope, she came out and made little scarves for them.  She always had a soft spot for you. Sugar ;)

Nathan rolled his eyes but smiled.

\- Good job, the amount of times you led me astray

\- Me?!  Sneaking out to go up to Derry was your idea!

\- Sneaking out was fine, sneaking into the movies less so

\- You still got in trouble for it though

\- Not as much as I did that first time we got drunk together

\- YOUR first time getting drunk.  Not mine

\- Whatever.  The Chief hit the roof

\- You did steal a bottle of his good whiskey

\- That was your idea as well!

\- Was it?  I forget

Nathan glared at Duke who stared back at him, round eyed and feigning innocence.

\- Least you could do is top up my whisky

Nathan sent the text and sat there, tapping his empty glass pointedly until Duke came over and refilled it.  Instead of going back to the bar, he folded himself into the chair opposite Nathan, leaning back and somehow managing to look as though he’d never sat on a chair before in his life.

“Still not talking about this,” Nathan muttered.

\- I know.  But we’re sharing the whiskey and I’m not walking across the bar every time you want your glass topped up

\- You and whiskey.  Match made in heaven

\- You’re telling me

\- Not what you said the day after your 21st birthday

\- Shit, yeah, that was a bad one

\- Bad?!  Duke, I thought I was gonna have to take you to hospital

\- I wasn’t THAT bad

\- You were so bad the bar you were in threw you out and you called me to come get you

\- Was I?

\- YES

\- Good job I taught you how to drive then

Duke couldn’t quite resist a smirk as he hit send on that message, but he quickly dropped it when Nathan arched one eyebrow in his direction.

\- Really?  Gonna rub that in my face?

\- Rub what?

\- That the Chief took me out once, told me I was useless and never took me out again

\- Sorry.  Good job you had me, though, right?

Maybe it was Duke’s imagination but Nathan seemed slightly….softer.  He was glaring less, anyway. And that _might_ have been a smile that flickered across his lips.

\- My mom teaching us both to make pancakes

\- Your mom was awesome

\- She was

Nathan’s face was so lost and forlorn that Duke wanted to reach across the table and drag him into a hug.  Kicking and screaming if necessary. That would probably be the worst thing he could do right now, though, so he settled for sending another text instead.

\- Is that why you always used to ask me to make pancakes for breakfast?

Nathan looked up then, and nodded, just once, before he stared back at his phone again.

\- You make them just like she used to

\- I’ll make them for you anytime

\- Thanks Duke

Duke gave him a nod and sent another text, trying to lighten the mood.

\- Spin the bottle at Bill and Jeff’s

\- First time you kissed me

\- And you kissed me back 

\- Had to put on a show or Julia would’ve said it didn’t count

\- That the only reason?  Because I seem to remember skipping French class a lot to make out

\- Probably why I flunked 

\- I offered to help you!

\- We both know how that would’ve gone

Duke smirked.  That was...a very valid point.  Spending any significant amount of time together at that age had only ever gone in one direction and it wasn’t studying.  Some of the tension had gone out of Nathan. Time for a calculated risk…

\- First summer after you went to college... the bonfire on the beach

\- The fishing hut

\- Your first time

\- I remember

Nathan looked up at him then, a light blush of pink on his cheeks, the hint of a smile on his lips, and Duke _pushed._

\- The way you used to kiss me goodbye

\- Even if I was going to see you later

\- The sound of your laugh

\- Your smile

“I miss you, Nate,” Duke said impulsively.

Nathan nodded and swallowed hard.  “Miss you too.”

Duke leaned forwards, his elbows resting on the table that suddenly seemed like such a huge barrier.  “Can we fix this?”

“Can try,” Nathan said, his lips quirking into the ghost of a smile as he also leaned forwards, closing the gap between them.  “Th-”

“Duke?” Nora’s voice called out from behind him.  “Need a hand over here.”

Duke groaned and raised his finger in Nathan’s direction.  “Hold that thought. I...will be right back.”

With that, he untangled his limbs and stood up, glaring slightly at Nora for interrupting with what was apparently a benign question about the upcoming stock take that really could have waited until tomorrow.  By the time he’d finished explaining that yes, the stock check was important and yes, he did need all the help he could get and no, she definitely wouldn’t be in the way, Nathan had brought both of the glasses and the bottle of whisky back to the bar.

“Should get going,” he said, his hands jammed in his pockets as he made a gawky and very Nathan-y movement that was somewhere between a sway and a _wiggle,_ rubbing his jaw at the same time.

“Yeah,” Duke said softly, sadly.  He’d thought they were maybe starting to get somewhere but…  

“Hey, can we-?” He said, just as Nathan said - “You want to-?”

They both laughed awkwardly and Duke gestured for Nathan to continue.

“You want to grab a beer sometime?”

“I’d love that,” Duke said quickly.  Too quickly. He stifled a groan of embarrassment and hoped that Nathan hadn’t noticed.

If he had, he gave no sign of it and before Duke knew what was happening, Nathan had practically _launched_ himself at him and dragged him into a hug.  Duke tensed for a moment, wondering _what the hell_ he’d done to deserve being hugged, but Nathan wasn’t letting go and he relaxed into the contact, deciding - for now - not to question it.

As quickly as Nathan had instigated the hug, he’d dropped his arms away and was striding out of the door, leaving Duke staring after him with his eyebrows raised and his mouth slightly open as if he was about to say something.

Which, in fact, he wasn’t.  Because his brain hadn’t quite caught up with what had just happened and all he could think was -

_What the fuck._


End file.
